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Old City of Sana'a

Middle East, Yemen · Cultural site · UNESCO World Heritage property #385

High ConcernConfidence: Supportedas of October 4, 2026
A traditional tower house in the Old City of Sana'a, photographed in February 2008. Shows the site as it was on that date, before the Yemen conflict, not its current condition.

A traditional tower house in the Old City of Sana'a, photographed in February 2008. Shows the site as it was on that date, before the Yemen conflict, not its current condition.

Taken 2008-02-23 · Dan from Brussels · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

Bab al-Yemen, the gate to the Old City of Sana'a, photographed in February 2008, before the Yemen conflict. Not a record of current condition.

Bab al-Yemen, the gate to the Old City of Sana'a, photographed in February 2008, before the Yemen conflict. Not a record of current condition.

Taken 2008-02-23 · Dan from Brussels · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

Significance

UNESCO says Sana'a has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years and became a major centre of Islamic learning and culture in the 7th and 8th centuries. UNESCO cites 103 mosques, 14 hammams and over 6,000 houses, all built before the 11th century. The city is known for its multi-storey tower houses of rammed earth, with decorated facades of fired brick and white gypsum patterns. It was inscribed in 1986 under cultural criteria (iv), (v) and (vi).

Current Status Rationale

Historical damage is documented in the site's record, but the current classification is based on present conditions and the most recent credible evidence. The 2015 attack on Al-Qasimi and the later floods are recorded in the timeline. The present picture, per the Committee's 2026 decision, is a property that remains on the Danger List and is still vulnerable to conflict damage, security challenges, deteriorating buildings and extreme rainfall, with approximately 80% of damaged buildings still unrepaired as of the 2024 state-of-conservation report. Against that, repair is real if small relative to need: UNESCO/EU funded rehabilitation is targeting 100 buildings, ALIPH funded urgent work on two tower houses in 2023, and the Committee acknowledges continuing emergency conservation work. Access for international monitors is the main uncertainty: the Committee has been unable to arrange a joint Reactive Monitoring mission because of security conditions (noted in 2019 and 2021 and again in 2026), so much of the present-condition picture comes from the State Party's own reports and project implementers rather than independent monitors. The Old City is in territory administered by the Houthi authorities (the 2022 reports cite a Houthi-administration culture minister), and no UNESCO document read says this has stopped monitoring altogether. Confidence is Supported rather than Confirmed because the Danger List listing and the threat categories are corroborated by primary UNESCO decisions, but the 2024 repair figure is two years old, the full 2026 state-of-conservation report and the January 2026 State Party report were read only as page extracts, and the Critical/High boundary is a judgment call. Confidence does not alter the status.

Serious, currently active threats are documented, or major historical damage remains substantially unrepaired. Credible sources support this status, with some limits on corroboration.

Threat Categories

Armed Conflict

Yemen's armed conflict is named by the World Heritage Committee as one of the factors leaving the property's Outstanding Universal Value vulnerable (decisions 46 COM 7A.35 in 2024, 47 COM 7A.56 in 2025 and 48 COM 7A.21 in 2026 each cite damage from conflict and security challenges), and in each it urges all parties to the conflict to refrain from action that would cause damage and refers to the 1954 Hague Convention. The best-documented direct damage is the 12 June 2015 attack on the Al-Qasimi neighbourhood, which UNESCO's Director-General described as reducing tower-houses and gardens 'to rubble'; Al Jazeera reported that the Arab coalition denied responsibility and suggested a rebel ammunition cache may have exploded, while VOA reported Saudi-led coalition airstrikes. A 2019 Committee decision recorded that the Al-Qassimi, Alfolihi, Madrassa, Al-Bakiria and Bahr Rajraj neighbourhoods 'remain affected', and a heritage official told a journalist in 2020 that bombing had weakened foundations. More recent incidents in Sana'a are much less clear for this site: a blast reported in April 2025 'near' the Old City is attributed by Houthi health officials to a US strike and by the US military to a Houthi air-defence missile, and the reports read do not describe damage to heritage buildings; AP reported in September 2025 that the Houthi culture ministry said Israeli strikes damaged Yemen's National Museum and 'other historical sites' in the capital, without naming the Old City. The sources reviewed do not document fighting at the Old City itself in 2026.

First identified: June 12, 2015 — Date of the attack on the Al-Qasimi neighbourhood reported by Al Jazeera and VOA. The property was inscribed on the Danger List in 2015; the broader conflict began before this and no earlier dated damage to the site was established from the sources reviewed.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UN News, Al Jazeera, Voice of America, via GlobalSecurity.org, Arab News Pakistan, republishing Reuters, DZRH, republishing Reuters, The National Herald, republishing Associated Press, Kuwait Times

Natural Disaster

Heavy rainfall and flash flooding repeatedly damage the earthen and brick tower houses. UNESCO's 2021 state-of-conservation page reports that torrential rains in August 2020 left three uninhabited houses collapsed, 50 houses severely hit and 111 houses with roof damage. In August 2022, Al Jazeera and The New Arab reported that at least 10 historic buildings collapsed after heavy rain, with about 80 others heavily damaged (The New Arab attributes the figures to the Houthi authorities). The 2024 state-of-conservation page records that heavy rains caused the partial collapse of some historic buildings, including the Al-Yadumi House in the Al-Abhar neighbourhood. The Committee names 'effects of extreme weather conditions' (2024, 2025) and 'effects of extreme rainfall' (2026) among the reasons the property remains vulnerable. The sources reviewed do not give a consolidated count of rain-related collapses across all years, and no 2025-2026 collapse figures were found.

First identified: Not established — Recurring seasonal rain damage; the earliest dated event in this dossier is August 2020, but UNESCO's 2021 page also mentions two collapses during 2019 without stating cause, so no single start date is claimed.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Al Jazeera, The New Arab, ALIPH Foundation

Environmental / Climate

ALIPH describes the partial collapse of two tower houses (Ghumdhan and Al-Yadumi) as following conflict and torrential flooding 'linked to climate change', and funded urgent stabilisation of both in 2023. The 2024 state-of-conservation page lists a 2023 contribution from Japan for a project titled 'Building Climate-resilient Communities in Historic Cities in Yemen' and lists problems with the network for evacuating rainwater as a factor affecting the property. The Committee texts read name extreme weather or extreme rainfall but, in the wording retrieved, do not state a climate-change attribution; that attribution here rests on ALIPH.

First identified: Not established — Documented as a developing, chronic concern; no single identifiable start date found in the sources reviewed.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ALIPH Foundation

Conservation / Structural

The Committee cites the 'deteriorating condition of historic buildings' and, in 2025, 'continuing limited resources'. The 2024 state-of-conservation page states that approximately 80% of the damaged buildings are yet to be repaired (in the World Heritage Centre analysis section, referring to the Old City generally and set against the first phase of the UNESCO/EU project, 2018-2022), that '100 buildings are now being targeted' by the UNESCO/European Union project 'Youth Employment through Culture and Heritage in Yemen', and gives no total count of damaged buildings. The Committee has repeatedly asked that ICOMOS Technical Review recommendations be fully implemented for the Souk Al-Halaqa and adjacent souks rehabilitation project (2024, 2025, 2026), noted in 2025 that the Al-Nahrain Mosque project was completed without implementing them, and asked for a high-priority review of the property's protection system. In 2019 the Committee noted building violations 'being addressed through demolition orders and education' and asked to be sent details of new projects before they start. UNESCO's property page lists development pressure (new hotels, telecommunications towers, loss of traditional green spaces) as a continuing concern. An April 2022 investigation by ARIJ documented 27 violations by merchants, residents and influential people, 15 of which involved altering or distorting the features of historic buildings or landmarks; this rests largely on interviews and could not be corroborated from an official source and could not be corroborated from an official source, so it is context only. No official report of demolition of heritage buildings by authorities, as opposed to enforcement against unauthorised construction, was found. Conservation work is continuing: the State Party's January 2026 report (by Yemen's Ministry of Culture and Tourism/GOPHCY) thanks ALIPH as 'the only entity that has continued to support conservation projects' in 2024/2025 (a State Party statement, not a UNESCO finding), and the 2026 Committee decision acknowledges 'continuing efforts to undertake emergency conservation work, and secure funding'.

First identified: Not established — Documented as a long-standing/chronic concern across successive state-of-conservation cycles; no single identifiable start date found in sources reviewed.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre (State Party document), ARIJ (Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism)

Historical Timeline

  1. 1986
    Old City of Sana'a inscribed on the World Heritage List

    UNESCO's property page records the inscription year as 1986, under criteria (iv), (v) and (vi).

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  2. 2015-06-12
    Attack destroys houses in the Al-Qasimi neighbourhood

    Al Jazeera and VOA reported an attack on the Old City on Friday 12 June 2015 that destroyed homes; Al Jazeera reported five dead and VOA at least six. VOA reported it as a Saudi-led coalition airstrike; Al Jazeera reported that the coalition denied responsibility and suggested a rebel ammunition cache may have exploded. UNESCO's Director-General Irina Bokova said she was shocked by images of tower-houses and gardens 'reduced to rubble'. The cause of the explosion was disputed in the reports read.

    Sources: UN News, Al Jazeera, Voice of America, via GlobalSecurity.org

  3. 2015
    Property placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger

    UNESCO's Danger List page shows the Old City of Sana'a listed in 2015, and its property page gives 2015 as the year added. The exact month and decision number were not retrieved in this pass.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  4. 2019
    Committee decision 43 COM 7A.39 records affected neighbourhoods and that a monitoring mission cannot be arranged

    The Committee noted that the Al-Qassimi, Alfolihi, Madrassa, Al-Bakiria and Bahr Rajraj neighbourhoods 'remain affected', that building violations were being addressed through demolition orders and education, and that owing to the prevailing security conditions it remained challenging for the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to provide support, with the Reactive Monitoring mission not arranged. The property was retained on the Danger List.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  5. 2020-08
    Torrential rains collapse and damage houses

    UNESCO's 2021 state-of-conservation page reports that August 2020 torrential rains left three uninhabited houses collapsed, 50 houses severely hit and 111 houses with roof damage; UNESCO also reports emergency funds for flood interventions. A Kuwait Times report of 13 August 2020 quoted a heritage official saying earlier bombings had made the foundations fragile.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Kuwait Times

  6. 2022-08-11
    At least 10 historic buildings collapse after heavy rain

    Al Jazeera and The New Arab reported on 11 August 2022 that at least 10 historic buildings in the Old City collapsed after heavy rain and about 80 others were heavily damaged; The New Arab attributes the figures to the Houthi authorities. The reports quote Abdullah al-Kabsi, culture minister in the Houthi administration, saying they were working with international organisations and seeking help. No deaths were reported in the Al Jazeera piece.

    Sources: Al Jazeera, The New Arab

  7. 2023
    ALIPH funds urgent safeguarding of Ghumdhan and Al-Yadumi tower houses

    ALIPH's project page describes documentation, urgent stabilisation and restoration of two traditional tower houses that partially collapsed following conflict and torrential flooding. It lists funding of US$74,000 and Dar Sahep for Engineering as implementing partner, working with Yemen's heritage authorities GOPHCY and GOAM.

    Sources: ALIPH Foundation

  8. 2024
    Committee decision 46 COM 7A.35 and 2024 state-of-conservation report

    The Committee retained the property on the Danger List, repeated that a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission is needed, and asked that ICOMOS recommendations be implemented for the Al-Nahrain Mosque and Souk Al-Halaqa projects. The 2024 state-of-conservation page (World Heritage Centre analysis section) states that approximately 80% of damaged buildings are yet to be repaired and that 100 buildings are being targeted by the UNESCO/EU rehabilitation project.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  9. 2025-04
    Deadly blast reported near the Old City, cause disputed

    Reuters, as republished by Arab News Pakistan and another outlet, reported a blast in a Sana'a neighbourhood near the Old City in April 2025 in which Houthi health officials said about a dozen people died. The Houthi side attributed it to a US strike; the US military said the closest US strike was more than 5 km away and that a Houthi air-defence missile was responsible, citing fragments with Arabic writing. The reports read do not say whether historic buildings were damaged, and the copies give inconsistent dates (Sunday 20 April versus 25 April), so only the month is stated here.

    Sources: Arab News Pakistan, republishing Reuters, DZRH, republishing Reuters

  10. 2025
    World Heritage Committee decision 47 COM 7A.56

    The Committee retained the property on the Danger List, said its Outstanding Universal Value is vulnerable because of deteriorating buildings, extreme weather, conflict damage, security challenges and limited resources, noted the Al-Nahrain Mosque project was completed without implementing ICOMOS Technical Review recommendations, reiterated the need for a Reactive Monitoring mission and asked for an updated report by 1 February 2026.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  11. 2026-01
    State Party report to the Committee

    A State Party report on the state of conservation (Yemen's Ministry of Culture and Tourism/GOPHCY), dated January 2026 on UNESCO's document page, thanks ALIPH as 'the only entity that has continued to support conservation projects' during 2024/2025 and confirms suspension of the Halaqa Market project, according to the page extract read. The report as read does not give figures for collapses, flood events, demolitions or airstrikes.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (State Party document)

  12. 2026
    World Heritage Committee decision 48 COM 7A.21

    At its 48th session the Committee retained the property on the Danger List, expressed concern at vulnerability from conflict damage, security challenges, deteriorating historic buildings and extreme rainfall, acknowledged continuing emergency conservation work, reiterated that ICOMOS recommendations on the Halaqa Market project be implemented, asked for a high-priority review of the protection system, said boundary modifications will not be considered at this time, acknowledged the need for a Reactive Monitoring mission 'as soon as the security situation allows', and asked for an updated report by 1 February 2027.

    Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Digital Preservation Index

Overall coverage: Moderate — Documented in several categories, with some notable gaps.

Three of five categories have publicly findable evidence, which meets the moderate tier. Photographic coverage found is a UNESCO gallery of 33 images with credits to UNESCO and Editions Gelbart photographers, so it is institutional rather than a recent, systematic survey. The scholarly evidence found is building-level (a 2004-2005 survey of the Great Mosque of Sana'a presented at the 2005 CIPA symposium), not a whole-city study. 3D documentation is marked false: the CIPA paper describes laser scanning and photogrammetry of mosques, and a CEFAS/Iconem project funded by ALIPH is described as digitising Sana'a, Zabid and Shibam in 3D (started January 2022, listed as complete), but no publicly viewable 3D model of the Old City was found. No virtual tour was found. Given the war and the rate of damage, a reviewer may wish to consider whether the evidence for a recent, public, whole-city record is thinner than 'moderate' suggests.

Law and commitments

Sources